RIA Novosti Roundup -- Isinbayeva "Misunderstood"; Poor Advertisement Caused Low Attendance

Isinbayeva Claims She Was 'Misunderstood' on Anti-Gay Comments

Russian pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva on Friday claimed she "may have been misunderstood" over anti-gay remarks she made in defense of controversial legislation in her home country that forbids the promotion of homosexuality to minors.

There have been calls to revoke Isinbayeva's status as an ambassador for next year's Sochi 2014 Olympics over Thursday's comments, when she intimated there was no place in Russian society for gay people.

"We consider ourselves as traditional people, when men live with women," she had said. On the ban on holding public pro-gay events in the presence of minors, she had said: "If we will allow to promote and do all this stuff on the streets, we are very afraid for our nation," speaking in non-native English.

After creating a storm of fury from world sports commentators and gay advocacy groups alike, she backtracked on Friday, reframing her words simply as the desire to see local laws respected.

"English is not my first language and I think I may have been misunderstood when I spoke yesterday," she said in a statement issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

"What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests," Isinbayeva added. "But let me make it clear: I respect the views of my fellow athletes and let me state in the strongest terms that I am opposed to any discrimination against gay people on the grounds of their sexuality (which is against the Olympic charter)."

It is not clear whether Isinbayeva said the words in brackets at the end of the quote or if they were inserted by IAAF editors.

The controversy over her remarks has considerably overshadowed one of her most enduring sporting achievements in a glittering career that has seen 28 world records.

Isinbayeva won her first major title in five years and her third world gold medal by jumping a season's best 4.82 meters at her home event at Luzhniki Stadium in the Russian capital, arguably the highlight of the nine-day event so far.

Just moments before Isinbayeva won the gold medal, US middle distance runner Nick Symmonds dedicated a silver medal he won to his gay and lesbian friends, becoming the first athlete to criticize the law on Russian soil.

On Thursday, Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro competed while sporting a rainbow manicure in support of Russia's gay community in a subtle form of protest that provoked Isinbayeva's anti-gay rant in the first place.

Isinbayeva Blames Russian Gov't for Poor World Athletics Crowd

Isinbayeva blames poor advertising by the Russian government and the country's athletics bosses for the sparse crowds at the ongoing world athletics championships in Moscow.

Even when Russian hero Isinbayeva won her third world title Tuesday, there were more than 1,500 empty seats, while the Luzhniki arena was half-empty when President Vladimir Putin spoke at Saturday's opening ceremony.

Her comments echo those made by IAAF president Lamine Diack in April, when he criticized Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev by name, saying they were not promoting the championships as much as last month's University Games or next year's Winter Olympics, also in Russia.

"Unfortunately, these things happen," Isinbayeva said of the attendance, speaking in English. "Maybe because of that problem our government will pay more attention to our sport and will promote it. The crowd knows just a few names. So our federation has to work hard to promote other athletes and attract attention to them. We also do have problems with facilities in whole Russia."

She added: "People maybe want to come to the world championships, but we don't have enough promotion of that ... Maybe we don't know how to do it and we have to learn it. For us it's the first time ever to organize such event as the world championships and, of course, we try to do our best."

Isinbayeva said the competition was well run from an athlete's perspective, remarking that she was "satisfied with everything and had no complaints."

Moscow 2013 Wrap: Day 6 at the World Athletics Championships

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi cemented his status as history's greatest steeplechaser on Thursday to wrap up the action on day six of Moscow's world athletics championship in perfect fashion.

The mohawked Kemboi has won medals at the worlds dating back to 2003 in Paris. The 31-year-old began his gold-medal streak in Berlin four years ago. He also has two Olympic gold medals, one in 2004 and another in London last year.

"I'm so happy for this medal today," he said, insisting that it was anyone's race. "These championships, it's an open game. Everybody wants to win. I'm so happy to have won."

Kemboi's 8:06.01 time on Thursday was roughly five seconds slower than the championships record he set in 2009, but it was fast enough to elude his teenage countryman, Conseslus Kipruto, an up-and-comer in Kenyan steeplechase. France's Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, the London silver medalist, prevented Kenya from the podium sweep with a bronze-medal time of 8:07.86.

In the women's 400-meter hurdles, Zuzana Hejnova capped her best-ever season withgold in 52.83 seconds, the fastest this year and a massive 0.24 seconds off her previous personal best, which doubled as the Czech record. The silver went to Delilah Muhammad of the United States in 54.09, while her compatriot Lashinda Demus took the bronze half a second back.

In the men's version, Jehue Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago narrowly edged American Michael Tinsley to gold in a dramatic photo finish for his first senior medal.

Gordon won by one hundredth of a second, dipping at the line for a time 47.69 seconds as he and Tinsley shattered the best time in the world this year, previously 47.93.

The bronze went to Serbia’s Emir Bekric in a national-record 48.05.

Elsewhere, Swedish runner Abeba Aregawi timed her final sprint perfectly to take gold in the women’s 1,500 meters. Aregawi, who switched allegiance from Ethiopia last year, won a comparatively slow final in 4 minutes 2.67 seconds, ahead of Jennifer Simpson of the United States (4:02.99) and Kenya’s Hellen Onsando Obiri (4:03.86).

In the field, Ukraine's Bohdan Bondarenko won high jump gold, setting a championship record of 2.41 meters and narrowly failing to clear Javier Sotomayor's world record of 2.45 by a centimeter.

Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, one of the London 2012 bronze medalists, managed 2.38 for silver. The 22-year-old beat Canada's Derek Drouin, another third-placed jumper last year, into the bronze with the same result but fewer failures. That was a national record for Drouin.

Reigning Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov disappointed the home crowd after charging through the early heights but unexpectedly unable to overcome 2.38, though his last attempt was interrupted by a medal ceremony. His 2.35 was good for fourth.

The women's triple jump didn't deviate too far from the form book as London 2012 silver medalist Caterine Ibarguen won gold with a world-leading leap of 14.85 meters.

The Colombian, also world silver medalist from Daegu two years ago, equaled the mark with her second attempt to go one better at Luzhniki Stadium.

That effort saw her displace surprise leader and two-time student games champion Ekaterina Koneva, who posted 14.81 the previous jump.

Defending world champion and world No. 1 Olga Saladuha was unable to improve upon a round-two jump of 14.65 and had to settle for bronze.

Friday sees five medal sets on offer: The women's hammer, the men's long jump, the men's shot put, the men's 5,000 meters and the men's 4-by-400-meter relay.

Published by exclusive arrangement with Around the Rings’ Sochi 2014 media partner RIA-Novosti.

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